However, I am resolved to keep my iPhone running on 3G for a little while in order to test performance. Mainly, I want to observe the hit on battery life, since Apple says using 3G may affect that. I noticed after using 3G for about three hours today, I had knocked my iPhone down to 80% battery. For some perspective, though, I was using my iPhone constantly during that time, instead of the occasional glance every 20-30 minutes. 

I am very glad AT&T rolled out 3G here in Nebraska. I had inquired last month at my local AT&T store, and the representative said it should be up and running by Thanksgiving. Looks like that goal has been met. I have to say, with all the griping I have heard people say about AT&T, I haven’t had any problems with them. Well, other than they are nonexistent when I travel to South Dakota, my homeland.

I’ll add updates if I find out anything noteworthy in the next day or two.

Original iTalk

Many a moon ago, I had a nifty little recorder for my third generation iPod (my first beloved iPod). I used in college to record any presentations I did and lectures. Back then, the iPod had a connector next to the headphone jack called the remote port. This little recorder was called the iTalk by Griffin Technology, and it used the remote port to interface with the iPod, instead of using the brand new (at the time) Dock connector that we are all so familiar with.

This was a great little device, but there was a fatal problem when I upgraded to the fourth generation iPod a year and a half later—the new iPod ditched the remote port. Apple had chosen to favor the superior Dock connector over the remote port, thus making my iTalk useless.

Griffin eventually released the iTalk Pro, which they still sell, for use with the Dock connector, but I never upgraded. Because Griffin was still a fairly small company back then, it took some time for the new product to come to fruition. In that time, I lost my taste for recording.

iTalk

When I bought my iPhone, I wondered if there would be an application that would utilize the microphone to record conversations, speeches, etc. Today I found my answer. Griffin has released iTalk Recorder [App Store link] for iPhone (and the second generation iPod touch) on the App Store.

This is a very polished app that is much more intuitive than the old iPod’s built in recording options. iTalk for iPhone allows you to title a track, select between Good, Better, or Best recording quality, and allows you to append further recording onto any previous recording. Even playback of the recording is pretty, as it mimics the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail interface. You can also delete a recording fromt he device if you no longer need it.

 Another gem Griffin has added as a compliment is iTalk Sync, a desktop application for Mac & Windows (Windows version coming soon). iTalk Sync allows iTalk on your iPhone to transfer files through your local wireless network. I used this app to transfer a test recording, and then used iTunes to convert it to a more bandwidth-friendly AAC file, and I‘ve uploaded it for your audio sampling pleasure. Nevermind, WordPress wasn’t cooperating, and I got frustrated. The app takes nice recordings, trust me. ;)

Well, that pretty much sums up my review. I give the app 4 out of 5 stars. Also, for a limited time, iTalk is free in the App Store. No word on how long this deal will last, nor how much it will cost when the offer has expired.

Courtesy of MacRumors.com

This morning Apple held their “The Spotlight Turns to Notebooks” event and surprise, they released new notebook computers! In all honesty, this is an event I’ve been waiting a long time for. Now, I love my iPhone to death, and use it countless times every day, but it is time for the Mac to shine again.

Sure, Apple had the MacBook Air in January, but the Air didn’t really apply to me. I want two things in a notebook: storage & power. At the time of my last notebook purchase, the MacBook satiated me compared to my iBook G4 of yore. Two years later, I am toying with the idea of upgrading within the next year. My next logical step would be the MacBook Pro, but the thing has looked like an old PowerBook G4 for it’s 3 year existence. 

Well, Apple stepped up the sexiness factor of the MacBook Pro today. Take a look after the break.

MacBook Pro running Aperture. Courtesy of Apple.

Nice, huh? Apple took design cues from both the iMac and the MacBook Air. What is interesting is the main casing is crafted out of a solid piece of aluminum, which gives the MacBook Pro a great deal of sturdiness over its predecessor. It also has a new trackpad unlike any other found in a computer before. It is a buttonless pane of glass that uses multi-touch gestures just like the iPhone. 

The MacBook Pro also sports two graphics cards: an integrated NVIDIA 9400M that shares up to 256 MB memory with the system RAM, and a discrete NVIDIA 9600M GT with dedicated 256 MB (or 512 MB option) of memory. The application of having two GPUs is cool. When battery life is essential the MacBook Pro relies on the lower power integrated graphics, but when performance is needed, the machine can be bumped up to the dedicated GPU for a lot of extra muscle. 

Apple also refreshed the MacBook Air with the new NVIDIA 9400M integrated graphics, a 120 GB hard drive (vs the previous 80 GB hard drive) or a 128 GB solid state drive (vs the previous 64 GB SSD), and also switched out the mini-DVI port for a mini-DisplayPort.

One More Thing…

It’s been a while since CEO Steve Jobs has used his famous “One More Thing” tagline, but we got a nice dose of it today. Mr. Jobs lastly unveiled a complete redesign of the MacBook. Can you guess what it looks like?

MacBook running iMovie. Courtesy of Apple.

It’s like the MacBook Pro’s little brother! And it is virtually them same specifications, too. The only thing the MacBook lacks that the Pro doesn’t is the FireWire 800 port, the dedicated NVIDIA 9600M GT, and two inches of screen. Otherwise the computers are identical. Oh, and the MacBook has smaller speakers.

I am curious how the MacBook’s reliance upon integrated graphics will fare this time. My MacBook has extremely limited graphic capability thanks to the weak Intel chipset. This new NVIDIA 9400M chipset sounds like it is pretty impressive, especially for integrated graphics.

Let’s just say I can’t wait to visit the Apple store. Here’s a parting shot of the entire MacBook family. Enjoy!

MacBook Family. Courtesy of Apple.

*”Teh” is an Internet meme that I was using. It is not a misspelling. This entire explanation is for you, Mom. ;)

Macolantern-Leopard Edition

Originally uploaded by chrisdejabet

The time has come again to unleash the Macolantern, my annual October desktop image! Downloadable here.

I posted this on Flickr last year, but that was when I was running Tiger. So here is the Leopard version. :)

Happy October!

Google turned 10 years old today! I wonder how many times I have used Google in the last 10 years? Especially since it is my home page on my browser. 

Well, Google wrote up a nice little blog post of their own for the occasion. Only 11 more years until Google can drink in the USA!

Apple will begin exchanging these faulty adapters on Friday, October 10 with adapters that look exactly the same except for a green dot.

The green dot signifies the awesomeness of this adapter. It is superior. It is…dotted green. My guess is the prongs are reinforced and won’t spontaneously escape from the adapter’s main housing.

Apple recommends all iPhone 3G users who have an adapter sans green dot to stop using the faulty adapter until an exchange can be made. Instead, users are encouraged to charge their iPhone via the USB port on their computer. More details can be found at the link in the beginning of the post.

You may remember July 11, the day I bought my beloved iPhone 3G, as the day Apple had a lot of applesauce all over its face. The company had a really, really bad day. 

Between the simultaneous launch of the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 Software, the App Store, and MobileMe, quality control went into a tailspin and smoked the Earth, leaving a stinky, black crater. iPhone activations were slow, the App Store was full of buggy apps created on a beta SDK, MobileMe was a complete mess (and its features are still incomplete), and the iPhone 2.0 Software was extremely glitchy.

Compared to the original iPhone launch a year prior, the iPhone 2.0 felt poorly designed. Many, including myself, think Apple just bit off more than it could chew, and when the dealine hit, Apple choked. 

One week ago, Apple released the iPhone 2.1 Software. When I wrote my first review of my iPhone, I waited a month, hoping things would get much better. Well, I only needed a week with iPhone 2.1 to know my verdict. This is what Apple should have released on July 11. 

The iPhone works much better as a phone. Granted, I didn’t have dropped calls prior to 2.1, but I often had noise interference—which is now gone. Bug fixes? Heck yes! Scrolling long lists (like playlists or contacts) is completely smooth now. My apps (even 3rd party) either don’t or rarely crash anymore. In the past week, I have only had one app crash, and I am pretty sure it did so because I tried forcing it to do more than it was capable of. 

Here’s the unexpected fix, at least in my opinion: Improved battery life. My battery life was pretty good before 2.1. It was better than my old Motorola RAZR. And the iPhone even does web browsing! After 2.1, though, my battery life became outstanding! I’m very impressed. I no longer feel like I have to give my iPhone a quick charge in the early evening.

I still think Apple rushed the 2.0 software out the door before it was ready. 2.1 is the caliber I expect of Apple, and I expected it on July 11. iPhone 2.0 wasn’t completely terrible, but it definitely didn’t have the “Apple Polish” I’ve come to know and love throughout the years. 

Now the iPhone lives up to being the best mobile phone ever created.

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

I actually had full AT&T coverage with the EDGE data network all the way up into Sioux Falls, SD. Once we got 20 miles west of Sioux Falls, though, the data network disappeared. Also, cell reception got pretty spotty all along I-90. However, the spotty cell coverage didn’t surprise me, as there are tons of hills and valleys, and I’ve always had problems with cell phones on I-90. Seriously, it’s rural South Dakota. 

When in Mitchell and Chamberlain, SD, I had a new kind of data service that I hadn’t seen before: GPRS. Turns out it is pretty much the first generation of data network, whereas EDGE is the second generation. GPRS makes EDGE—which is slow and horrible—look like warp freaking speed. Unfortunately, GPRS is what I was stuck with in Pierre all weekend, too, when I wasn’t near Wi-Fi.

However, as far as making and receiving phone calls back home, not a problem. Pierre had sufficient partner coverage that I usually had at least two bars, but usually had 4 or 5.

My dad says he has heard rumors that AT&T is moving into South Dakota, since Verizon is acquiring Alltel, the only other significant carrier in the state. I hope he is right.

Now, AT&T’s motto is “More Bars in More Places.” Well, readers, I am going to put it to the test! We’re preparing to leave for our hometown, Pierre, SD, for the holiday weekend. South Dakota has very little actual AT&T coverage, however they appear to have “partner coverage” just about anywhere I would find myself going in SD. For reference, please see the diagram below.

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

As you can see, I will certainly find out whether or not AT&T has “More Bars in More Places.” My other question is whether or not my data plan will be available in SD. It isn’t as good as Wi-Fi, but let’s face it, free Wi-Fi is getting harder to find, and I have a twitter addiction to feed!

I will be sure to report back with my findings either during or shortly after my vacation. Ciao!